The Outsiders
By S. E. Hinton
Reading Log
Date: _________________
Day One- The Outsiders
Read the author summary and the book summary page in the beginning of your reading log. Take your
time reading these two pages. Afterwards, reflect on them by answering the following questions.
1. What are two pieces of information that you learned by reading the author information on S. E.
Hinton?
2. What are two pieces of information you gathered after reading The Outsiders summary page?
3. What are you looking forward to for this unit? What are you not looking forward to for this unit?
Date: __________
Day Two- The Outsiders
Look at the cover of the book The Outsiders. Read the back cover. Flip through the book a few times
without actually reading the pages. Now, answer the following questions:
1. Make one prediction about the book, based on what you have gathered in your initial
investigation and based on what we learned about S. E. Hinton and The Outsiders from
yesterday?
2. What does it mean to be an “outsider”? What can you gather about the book, based on your
knowledge of what being an outsider means?
3. As Ms. Breault reads Chapter One (pg. 1-18) out loud in class, record your reading notes in the
space below.
Date: __________
Day Three- The Outsiders
1. Complete your reading notes for Chapter Two (pg. 19-36) in the space below.
2. Who is your favorite character so far? Who is your least favorite character? Why?
Date: __________
Day Four- The Outsiders
1. Complete your reading notes for Chapter Three (pg. 37-52) in the space below.
2. Now that you are more than a quarter of the way done with The Outsiders, tell me whether or
not the predictions you had in the beginning were correct or incorrect. If you do not know yet,
write to me whether you are still predicting the same thing.
Date: __________
Day Five- The Outsiders
1. Chose a character in the book that you feel the closest to, or that you feel the strongest
connection to. Why do you feel close or connected to this character? Write at least three
sentences.
2. Complete your reading notes for Chapter Four (pg. 53-68) in the space below.
3. Imagine you were in Johnny or Ponyboy’s shoes. Take a moment and think about each
question carefully before answering.
a. How would you have reacted to the Socs in the park (page 54-55)?
b. Would you have reacted and done the same things that Johnny did, or would you
have done something differently?
c. If you were in Johnny and Ponyboy’s position at the end of Chapter Four, what
would you do?
Date: __________
Day Six- The Outsiders
1. Complete your reading notes for Chapter Five (pg. 68-84) in the space below.
2. As you eat your sandwich, think about how Johnny and Ponyboy would have felt while
they ate their sandwiches (think of everything that they had gone through up until this
point). Tell me about the taste, the smell, and the feeling of eating the sandwich. Could
you eat this (and only this) for several days?
Date: __________
Day Seven- The Outsiders
1. Complete your reading notes for Chapter Six (pg. 85-99) in the space below.
2. How do you feel about Johnny and his relationship with his parents?
3. What do you think a family is defined by? Can someone be in your family that is not bloodrelated to you? Just because someone is blood-related to you, does that make them part of your
family? Explain using quotes from the book.
Date: __________
Day Eight- The Outsiders
1. Complete your reading notes for Chapter Seven (pg. 100-118) in the space below.
2. Reflect on the conversation between Ponyboy and Randy on page 115-118. Why was it
important that Hinton include this conversation in the book at this particular spot?
Day Nine- The Outsiders
1. Complete your reading notes for Chapter Eight (pg. 119-130) in the space below.
2. What do you think is going to happen in the next section? Give at least two predictions and reasons
as to why you think that.
Date: __________
Day Ten- The Outsiders
1. Complete your reading notes for Chapter Nine (pg. 131-149) in the space below.
2. Re-read the hospital scene (starting at the bottom of page 147 at the paragraph “We ran
through the lobby). What do you think Johnny meant when he told Ponyboy to “Stay gold”
(148)?
Date: __________
Day Eleven- The Outsiders
1. Complete your reading notes for Chapter Ten (pg. 150-160) in the space below.
2. Have you even known anyone that has died? If so, please write about the emotions that an
experience like that can bring. Compare your emotions and your experiences to Ponyboy.
Can you relate to him and the way that he is acting? If yes, explain. If no, what is different?
3. Describe what happened to Dally (page 154). What are your thoughts on this death? Do you
agree with Ponyboy in that Dally “died gallant”?
4. Complete your reading notes for Chapter Eleven (pg. 161-166) in the space below.
5. What do you think about Ponyboy’s statements on page 165, starting with “I had it.” Write
your thoughts in the space below.
Date: __________
Day Twelve- The Outsiders
1. Complete your reading notes for Chapter Twelve (pg. 167-180) in the space below as
Ms. Breault reads the last chapter out loud.
2. Now that you have finished the entire novel of The Outsiders, look back at your
predictions. Were you correct? Were you wrong? In what ways were you either correct
or wrong?
3. Why would S.E. Hinton chose to let the readers know that the entire book as a school
assignment only at the very end of the novel. What purpose do you think that serves?
How would your opinions have changed of the book had Ponyboy started out by saying
that the entire book was an assignment?
4. Reflect on the title of the book once again. Do you think it is appropriate for the book?
Why is it a good title, and what about the title doesn’t fit when it comes to Ponyboy and
his gang?